FLORENCE, S.C. – A Coker College turnover in the final seconds allowed Francis Marion University to escape with a 69-66 win and gave Patriot head coach Gary Edwards his 400th career win, Saturday night (Nov. 17) in the Zaxby’s Peach Belt Conference/Conference Carolinas Clazzic.

FMU improves to 2-0 for the first time since the Sweet Sixteen season of 2003-04. Edwards now has a 400-275 career coaching mark in 24 seasons, with stints at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), Charleston Southern University, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). He is in his second year at Francis Marion.

A free throw by sophomore point guard Cortne’ Baker with 18 seconds left gave Francis Marion the final three-point margin. Following a Coker timeout with two seconds remaining, the Cobras turned the ball over on the in-bounds pass and did not get to attempt a potential game-tying shot.

After leading 31-27 at intermission, Francis Marion used a 9-0 spurt midway through the second stanza to pull out to a 19-point advantage (61-42) with 8:10 left in the contest. The margin was still 19 at 63-44 with 7:41 on the clock when Coker scored 17 of the game’s next 18 points. The last basket, a three-point play by Ambler off a nice pass from Josh Poston, cut the Patriot lead to 64-61 with 2:34 remaining.

A layup by Ambler, off another feed from Poston, with 20 ticks left trimmed the margin to 68-66 setting the stage for Baker’s one free throw and the final turnover.

Francis Marion made 12 of its first 15 free throws, but then missed 10 of its final 13 charity tosses allowing the Cobras to get back into the game.

Francis Marion will play host to The Apprentice School on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Coker plays host to Anderson University, also on Monday at 7:30 p.m.